Amber paused for a minute, thinking while she tapped a finger against her lips. “She must still be in her trial period. We could talk to Kristin. Tell her who her new employee really is.”

Lou shook her head. “No. I don’t want anyone to know, because once they do their perception of me will change as well, and I have fought so hard to become this person I am now. I wasn’t always able to stand up in front of a room of people and teach. It took years of practice before I could do that.”

“That’s why you’re such a good teacher now.”

Lou ignored the compliment. Her state of mind was not one for receiving kind words well. “I just never thought I would be confronted with her again. It’s such a sick twist of fate.”

“This is probably not what you want to hear right now, but I strongly believe you should talk to her. Tell her who you are and who she is to you. You can’t just keep this inside. And before you even have a single thought in that direction, I don’t want to lose you over this. I want you to be happy at Glow, and that entails being happy with the students and your surroundings. The Pink Bean and Glow are so closely linked and, at some point, Mia might end up in one of your classes. You might not want her there. Every fiber of your being might scream no—which I totally understand—but I think you have no choice but to confront her.”

“I can barely stand to look at her. On the outside, she doesn’t seem to have changed a bit. When she tries to smile at me it makes my stomach twist up. It makes me so angry, Amber. I hardly recognize myself. That sneering grin of hers. I’m not sure I can face it.”

“We can talk to her together if you like. You don’t have to do this alone. You are not alone.”

“I’ll think about it.” Lou drank from the tea Amber had poured. “You know when Angie and I were always fighting about something toward the end of our relationship, having children was one of our big disagreements. Some days she managed to convince me because I couldn’t help but think: what if my child encounters a Mia Miller on its way? Do I really want to do that to someone?” Lou pursed her lips, trying to keep a lid on the anger surging in her heart again. “That’s also what I mean when I say that the effects of cruelty are long-lasting. I want a child. I truly do. It’s my one big wish. And to think that because of what Mia did to me when I was a teenager I would deny myself my most fervent wish. That’s how long cruelty lives on.”